Alexo Wandael, Italian Director

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our shows, Alexo Wandael, Italian film director, producer, and director based out of LA and NY, and he joins us to discuss an incredibly interesting project he’s been working on called ITALIANY.US, where he photographs his subjects and black and white, all of them from Italy, and interviews them about the life they’ve created here in America.
Why did they come here, what are their dreams, their passion for life. And we turn the tables and ask him this same question.

Alexo has been a celebrated fashion and celebrity photographer, having worked for some of the more prestigious magazines in the world. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, featuring “To My Pink Lady,” “A Woman Makes A Plan,” and “Tomato Soup In Skid Row.” These are magnificently insightful works of art, and we will discuss his continued passion for his ongoing film and video projects, including “Vanity Fair Italia, Maye Musk.”

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you as part of our community.

Alessandra Repini, Author, “The Italian Lady. The Book.

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome our shows Alessandra Repini, who wrote, “THE ITALIAN LADY: The Perfect Guide To Making Yourself ever Cheerful, Classy and Admired.”

Alessandra talks about how to discover the “modern day dolce vita and enjoying it wherever you are in the world,” which is another subtitle to her book. Have you ever noticed how Italian women always seem to look elegant, cook with finesse, and just seem to have an incredible warmth? Perhaps I’m biased, but I think they do, and Alessandra writes about that, everything from fashion, to furniture and food (the three F’s). She also talks about travel and art in her book, how to stay fit and healthy, and it all follows what’s natural to the Italian lifestyle. Alessandra lives in Italy with her family, maintains impeccable style, and she shares some tips on how we can absorb some of these Italian ways, too.

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and we encourage you to invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you as part of our community.

Raffaella Valentini, Consul General of Italy in LA to discuss the Vespucci Ship

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please join me in welcoming Raffaella Valentini, our esteemed Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, who joins us to discuss a monumental event that soon grace our shores at the Port of Los Angeles – the arrival of what’s been called “the most beautiful ship in the world,” the Amerigo Vespucci.

The Vespucci is the historic and iconic training ship of the Italian Navy, and it will be accompanied by a special flyover by the “Frecce Tricolore” Acrobatic Team of the Italian Air Force on opening day.

We will discuss with Raffaella the history of the infamous explorer that the ship is named after, as well as the world voyage the Vespucci has traveled, and of course the significance of this moment in highlighting our Italian culture.

Los Angeles is the first city in the world to host a maxi exhibition space called “Villaggio Italia” that will open from July 3rd-8th in front of the Vespucci ship at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro at Berth 50. This is something you will not want to miss, and will want to bring your family and friends. There will also be food, cooking shows, art exhibitions, concerts and more for all to enjoy.

There’s lots to talk about, and much to share about the upcoming events, and we are honored to have Raffaella Valentini join us to discuss the Vespucci. Please find our interview on all platforms or #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to have you join us. Please invite your friends and family, too !

Anna Harsh, Director of Allegro Dance Company & Author

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please join me in welcoming Anna Harsh, author, professional dancer, award-winning choreographer, and founder of the Allegro Dance Company, a dance troupe that teaches and performs traditional dances of Italy, region by region. They perform throughout the country and internationally, and their work is absolutely spectacular!

The mission of Allegro Dance Company is to preserve and perpetuate traditional Italian dances from the twenty regions of Italy.
As an Italian American, Anna has been passionate about her dance and art since she was a small girl, and she wants share that passion with the rest of us.

She and her team have also produced a documentary, “La Danza – Bridging Time Through Dance,” and her goal is to share these lively and fun dances in theaters and schools across the country, keeping the tradition and heritage of Italian dance alive for generations to come.

Please join Anna Harsh on my #LittleItalyPodcast #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast and #DeborahKobyltLIVE and invite your friends, too. It’s always special when someone turns their passion into a living that others are excited about, and that’s exactly what Anna has done. Thanks for joining us🇮🇹

Melissa Errico, Broadway superstar and NYC treasure

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show Broadway superstar and NYC treasure Melissa Errico, recently hailed as “a unique force in the musical life of New York City.” And she’s related to me by marriage, so I can call her my “cousin,” too, although the theater
genes didn’t get passed down to me!

Melissa just launched her latest album, Sondheim In The City, a jewel that celebrates New York “as it was, might still be, and will yet become,” through the words and music of one of the City’s most enduring poets, Stephen Sondheim.

Melissa has been a Broadway classic since she debuted in Les Miserables in the 1990s. She also starred in My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain (who was my neighbor in LA when I first moved here), as well as the title role in One Touch of
Venus. She’s earned two Tony nominations, and often tours the country and internationally singing and performing. In addition, Melissa is a contributing writer to the New York Times, has served on the National Endowment for the Arts, went to
Yale, has three beautiful daughters and is married to broadcaster and former professional tennis player Patrick McEnroe, whom she’s known since grade school. Melissa has two siblings, her dad is an orthopedic surgeon and concert pianist, and
mom is a sculptor and former teacher. Her great Aunt Rose had a big career in the Ziegfeld Follies, too. In fact, Melissa is the spitting image of Aunt Rose. Clearly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree!

To say she’s led a blessed life would be an understatement, but it’s all because of the love and passion she brings to her life and work. She’s a quintessential New Yorker, lover of theater and the arts in a way that makes New York great. And I’m beyond thrilled to be speaking with Melissa on our show.

There’s lots for us to talk about, from family to her early years, growing up Italian, marriage into a legendary tennis family, raising three girls and work that she not only enjoys but embodies. Please find our full interview with Melissa on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us!

Lena Prima, Jazz Singer, Recording Artist, & Daughter of Jazz Legend Louis Prima

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show one of the most dynamic jazz performers of our time, Lena Prima, daughter of jazz great Louis Prima, who has clearly carved out a name for herself in New Orleans and around the globe for her electrifying stage performances and albums.

I grew up with Louis Prima’s music playing in our Italian household. My parents, aunts, and uncles would dance to his music late into the evening on many weekends. So I was thrilled to meet Lena at the Italian American Museum in LA where she performed a few months ago, celebrating the Louis Prima exhibit currently on display there.

Lena is a one-of-a-kind of jazz singer and performer, much like her dad. Her energy is the kind that comes around once in a generation, and watching her perform with her band, I can only imagine what it was like for her on stage with her dad when she was a kid. Sadly, Louis Prima died when Lena was 11, complications from a benign brain tumor. But everything about him in those eleven years made a permanent impression on Lena to this day.

Lena grew up in Vegas but frequented New Orleans where her dad grew up. And her mom, Gia Malone, was also a singer and performer. Lena started her career in rock, but got the calling to perform jazz, and eventually plant roots in New Orleans, where she performs to this day.

There’s a lot to talk about with Lena. Please join our conversation on all video and audio platforms of my #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, & #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for being here. Please invite your friends, too! We’re so excited to have Lena Prima joining us !

Ilaria Borrelli, Filmmaker, Women’s Rights Activist, Mother.

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show the immensely talented Italian director and actress, Ilaria Borrelli, who is also a human rights activist. In fact, much of Ilaria’s activism is reflected in her work, often with an emphasis on the rights of woman and young girls.

I met Ilaria at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, when she was speaking about her film, “The Goat,” about an 11-year-old pregnant orphan forced into marriage in her small Ethiopian village, only to escape with her goat, which provides nourishment, companionship, and even friendship throughout her difficult journey to find her her father, and ultimately peace. The film stars Mira Sorvino and John Savage, along with young Egyptian Tik Tok star, Jessica Hosam.

Ilaria has been behind some of the most prolific films throughout her career, including “Life Is Beautiful,” and “A Girl from the Brothel,” among others. We will talk with her about her adventures filming in often dangerous condition, her life’s work as an actress and eventually behind the camera, and how it all began in Naples, Italia. She will also discuss her intense interest in spotlighting the dangers of human trafficking young girls, and how she hopes to shed a spotlight on the issue through her work.

I’m honored to present Ilaria on our show, and thank you to my friend, Lorenza, for suggesting an interview. Please find my full conversation with Ilaria on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us.

Marianna Cuomo Maier, Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, Founder of Grata Wellness

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please give a warm welcome to my guest, Marianna Cuomo Maier, certified health & wellness coach and founder of Grata Wellness, which helps people take charge of their health, find more joy in their lives, and often, she says, it starts with food.

Marianna holds wellness workshops, meditation, and journaling groups at wellness events in support of finding our healthier, more balanced selves. And as she tells it, Marianna was not always a healthy person. She had to learn how to do it.

Marianna also writes for @AppetitoMagazine, and in fact, we were introduced by Appetito‘s founder, @AndrewCotto, as well as my friend, @AmyRiolo, writer of many books on the Mediterranean Diet, specifically the Dummies series.

Marianna is also founder of the Emerging Leaders Council of the Italian Language Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Italian language and culture nationally.

And if the name Cuomo sounds familiar, she is of the infamous New York Cuomo family. Her grandfather, Mario Cuomo, was a beloved governor of New York. Uncle Andrew was also NY governor, and Uncle Chris is a well-known, award-winning TV journalist.

Please join my conversation with Marianna on how we can all be healthier in a world that often promotes fast living and fast foods. She also talks about life growing up Cuomo, and how her Italian heritage helped form her wellness routines she lives by today. You’ll find our #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio podcast platforms. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining us. Please also invite your friends, too!

Andrew Cotto, Award-Winning Novelist & Co-Founder, Appetito Magazine

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please join us in welcoming Andrew Cotto, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine. Andrew is also an award-winning novelist of seven books, a regular contributor to the New York Times, and he loves all things Italy, particularly food and wine. His passion is to write and talk about it, and share his experiences so we can fall in love with the Italian way of living as he has.

Andrew likes to say that “food is his muse.” He draws a comparison between mental health and healthy eating, and talks about how Italians instinctively know how to do that. While he was raised in the states, Andrew fell in love with his ancestral homeland the first time he visited, and decided to plant his own roots there for a time and learn all he could about the Italian lifestyle and good health. He’s been a regular on Good Day New York, and has interviewed some of the top culinary experts in his Appetito magazine, including Rachael Ray. And now he joins us on our #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and #DeborahKobyltLIVE, to share all he’s learned with us. And there’s a lot.

Please find our show on all video and audio podcast platforms, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us today.

Amy Riolo and Dr. Simon Poole

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Have you thought of taking weight loss drugs? Seems as though everywhere you turn, people are jumping on the craze, but perhaps there’s another way to control our weight and health, and today we speak with our dear friend, chef and acclaimed author, Amy Riolo, along with her colleague, Dr. Simon Poole, MD, who collaborated on the “Diabetes for Dummies” series which also includes “Diabetes Meal Planning & Nutrition,” along with the “Diabetes Cookbook.”

Amy has written 17 books that include healthy eating and how to incorporate the Mediterranean diet into our daily routines, and Dr. Poole talks about the many health benefits from introducing extra virgin olive oil into our diets. In fact, the two met at a convention speaking about olive oil and healthy living, and have made it their mission to talk and write about how we can all live healthier lives and even turn around type 2 diabetes if we incorporate certain foods into our diets and eliminate others that are essentially “poison” to our bodies.

Our show will be simulcast on #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and also #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and we all know that #Italians are experts on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This is also something Amy has studied much of her life, as her mother was diabetic and she sought ways to help her mom with through food. And she’s been talking and writing about it ever since.

Please find our show LIVE on all video and audio podcast platforms, and invite your friends and family to participate in this important conversation. Thank you for joining us. Deborah